UPDATE 2:14 p.m.
R.I.P., Winter Meetings 2018
UPDATE, 11:42 a.m. of an UPDATE, 11:10 a.m.
In what is becoming a familiar scenario with Rick Hahn, the White Sox drafted, then traded, its Rule 5 pick.
The team selected pitcher Jordan Romano from the Toronto Blue Jays — then dealt him to the Texas Rangers, in a trade announced a half-hour after the pick.
It’s the second straight year that Hahn has swapped his Rule 5 pick to the Rangers.
UPDATE, 11:33 a.m.
Also, the White Sox signed infielder/outfielder Lázaro Leal. He’s 22, and he comes via the Mexican League. Scroll down for more details, as Michael Kenny has some good info about Leal in the comments.
UPDATE, 11:24 a.m.
So, back to the important stuff: Bryce Harper. While the number of sneering tweets over the White Sox’s pursuit of Harper intensifies, Bullet Bob Nightengale clocks in with this juicy bit. (And if it comes from Nightengale, you know two things: 1. There’s likely an egregious misspelling 2. It’s straight from the front office’s mouth)
The Washington #Nats offer to Bryce Harper at end of season was worth $284 million over 10 years when factoring in the deferred money.. #Whitesox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has had two phone conversations with agent Scott Boras but no offers yet submitted. https://t.co/AzuNdQV0gK
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 13, 2018
UPDATE, 11:15 a.m.
And that’s it! The White Sox decline their pick in the second round of the Rule 5. Gotta leave room for Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Yasmani Grandal.
And also ...
White Sox lose no one in the major league portion of the Rule 5 Draft. All that worrying for nothing
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) December 13, 2018
So, it’s almost like the Rule 5 draft didn’t even happen.
I wonder how pissed off Jordan Guerrero is this year.
UPDATE, 9:48 a.m.
3. White Sox. Jordan Romano, RHP (from Blue Jays). Forgot to add him to preview, bc I'm an idiot. Can see him sticking.
— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) December 13, 2018
The Los Angeles Dodgers have taken Joe Kelly off the board for a very reasonable $8 million per. So the 11% of you (fourth-place answer) from yesterday’s poll of who the Chicago White Sox would sign first, well, you get a copy of the home game.
Sources confirm the Los Angeles Dodgers are nearing an agreement with Joe Kelly, as @Ken_Rosenthal and @ByRobertMurray reported. Deal would be for three years and ~$25 million.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 13, 2018
The Rule 5 draft, in which the Chicago White Sox are expected to participate for at least one pick, but are not contractually obligated to no matter how desperate we are for new players to get excited about beyond Iván Nova, begins Thursday at 11 a.m. CT.
Dogged and dastardly offseason scribe whisoxman20051917 kicked ass all over the Rule 5 draft last week, with profiles on the top hitting and pitching prospects. Chances are, if you get news of the White Sox’s pick and just can’t wait for the breathless and exhaustive new post we’ll publish on the player, a significant writeup on him will be found in either one of those stories.
Meanwhile, here’s hoping for a heading-out-of-town trade or two from Rick and Kenny, or at least a solid lead on a prospective free agent. Knowing that the White Sox are basically in on every free agent ever dating back to KenHarrelsonCurtFloodAndyMessersmith is cool and all, but I bet to a one we’d trade a trillion trade rumors tweets for just one single solitary new South Sider.
Fingers crossed!